Four missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints serving in Auckland, New Zealand, shared how divine guidance found in the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ helped prepare them to teach others about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
Elder Roman Little from Newcastle, Australia, has been serving as a missionary for a month.
“I really wanted to read the Book of Mormon cover to cover before I left [home], and I achieved it,” he said.
After reading three to four chapters every day building up to his mission, Elder Little finished the Book of Mormon and followed the counsel contained at the end of the book to pray and “ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true” with the promise that, if one does, “[God] will manifest the truth of it unto [them]” (Moroni 10:4).
“I prayed and I said, ‘Heavenly Father, is this true? Is this worth going out and teaching?’”
Elder Little said a voice came to him: “Why doubt what you know to be true?”
“I haven't doubted it ever since,” he said.
Growing up in Pretoria, South Africa, Elder Vutlhari Mabaso often observed missionaries sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. He wanted to know how he could prepare to do the same, so his father directed him to read the Book of Mormon.
“I began to love reading the [Book of Mormon] because whenever I used to have any questions, it used to just answer them,” he said. “As I continued to read my scriptures every day, my desire to share what I [was] feeling with others, continued to grow.
“If you don’t know something is true, then it becomes difficult for you to be able to share that experience with others,” he said.
Sister Alesha Galea’i from Laie, Hawaii, had never read the Book of Mormon all the way through before her mission. After entering the Missionary Training Centre, she and other young missionaries were challenged by a Church leader to read the Book of Mormon with the promise that it would bring about blessings and miracles in their lives. As she took his challenge, Sister Galea’i found herself having greater power to testify of the Book of Mormon and share it with others.
“There will always be something throughout the day that reflects what I’ve read in the Book of Mormon [that day],” she said. “It just testifies to me that these writings — although they were written centuries ago — they are still true today, and we can still see it today in our lives.”
Sister Heidi Teressa Lafitani from Nuku’alofa, Tonga, is nearing the end of her 18-month mission. Nine months into her mission, Sister Lafitani finished reading the Book of Mormon for the first time.
“[It] was the greatest experience that I ever had in my mission,” she said.
Reading the Book of Mormon helped strengthen her testimony which, in turn, helped her encourage others to do the same.
In 2024, President Russell M. Nelson, worldwide president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, encouraged new mission leaders to teach missionaries to study and share the Book of Mormon.
The Church News reported President Nelson’s words: “‘I invite you to make the Book of Mormon the cornerstone of your teaching of your missionaries. Help them learn how to treasure the truths taught from the first page to the last page . . . blessings will come to them as they study, teach from, and testify of the Book of Mormon.’”
Connect with missionaries here to learn more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.